Pirates just fall in after panic
A LATE penalty goal has allowed Bond Pirates to avoid an almighty second-half slide against Helensvale in Gold Coast District Rugby.
The Pirates were brilliant in the opening 40 minutes to race out to a 30-0 lead.
“We couldn’t do a thing wrong in the first half,” Pirates coach Jeff Bloomers said.
“Everything we did just turned to gold.”
Such was their dominance, they took the chance to substitute flyhalf Cayden Matehaere off at halftime to rest a niggle he had been battling.
What would come next was a remarkable momentum swing as the Hogs charged back to level the scores.
Only a penalty goal to Matehaere’s brother Lincoln in the dying minutes edged the Pirates back ahead to clinch a nailbiting 33-30 victory.
“We didn’t touch the ball for I think 28 minutes,” Bloomers said of the second half, conceding panic did set in.
“With five minutes to go when it got back to 30-all, yes we were (panicking).
“We managed to tough it out and get a little bit of possession in the last five or 10 minutes and then kicked the penalty goal.”
Considering the Hogs had won had the Round 1 clash between the sides and the Pirates on this occasion had as many as nine players sidelined with injury, Bloomers was happy.
“Tommy Sly, our winger, played exceptionally well, scored a couple of length-ofthe-field tries,” he said.
“Cayden Matehaere went off at halftime but he was very good in organisation in the first half and probably Andy Gaultier was our standout in the forwards.”
Colleges mentor Graham Herlihy was less pleased after the Knights had a third straight week of no match play.
Following the representative bye round, Coomera and now Coolangatta Tweed have forfeited against them.
It’s a less than ideal preparation for their meeting next weekend with Surfers Paradise, who walloped Coomera 77-7 on Saturday.
Palm Beach Currumbin overcame a 14-10 halftime deficit to beat the Gold Coast Eagles 32-19.
In the country championships, four Gold Coast players were part of the triumphant South Queensland squad.
South Queensland backed up their 20-12 win over North Queensland on Friday night with an 83-17 thrashing of Central Queensland yesterday.